knife makers,

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What is your favorite steel? Mine is definitely O1. Tempered to 58ish
 
I too like O1 but like I was told long ago, the public wants stainless at least 90% of the time. So I used other steels like ats-34, D2 and CPM steels but I always got O1 sharper than any other steel. It's cheap, does the job but you do have to take care of it.
 
5160. Cheap, versatile, tough, forgiving. HT it hard for smaller knives. Treat it a bit softer for longer blades. Surprisingly rust-resistant, considering it has little chrome.

I like other steels for specific applications, but for a general do-'most-anything steel, it's hard to go wrong.
 
All I've ever worked with is 1095 and 5160 so I don't have experience with anything else. Of the two, I'd vote for 5160.
 
O1 has always been my standby. Recently have been experimenting with 5160 (new stock) and some recycled leaf springs. I like the 5160, but I think I still prefer O1 for blades under 6 inches like I normally make.
For an all around stainless steel I like ATS34 or 440C, never played with any of the newer steels.
 
Valkman said:
I too like O1 but like I was told long ago, the public wants stainless at least 90% of the time. So I used other steels like ats-34, D2 and CPM steels but I always got O1 sharper than any other steel. It's cheap, does the job but you do have to take care of it.
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Valkman,
I had gotten busy and forgot this thread. You do VERY nice work!
 
So does anyone here use their forge to HT D2? SS wrap to prevent decarb?
 
Valkman said:
I too like O1 but like I was told long ago, the public wants stainless at least 90% of the time.
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Overall I could belive that of the public as a whole. On the other hand I believe people interested in high end or custom knives are much more likely to be accepting of non-stainless steel to get a knife with superior edge retention, toughness or other physical property they value.



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I agree, it's the general public that wants stainless mostly. Collectors are a different breed.

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5160 indeed seems very good in all blades I have with it. I too have not seen a steel that gets as sharp as Starrett 0-1 at around 60-63 Rockwell C
, which is not especially "cheap" . CPM 154 is another good one that I reccomend. Other good steels are 440C for appearence with reasonable toughness, and the W-2 series which seem tough and long wearing.
 
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